


D. O. A.

by Soobiebear



Category: The Grand Tour (TV) RPF
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-29
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-12-26 04:14:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18275564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soobiebear/pseuds/Soobiebear
Summary: Third time, not so lucky.





	D. O. A.

**Author's Note:**

> Was listening to my old records and stumbled across Bloodrock 2. My dad used to scare me with the song D.O.A as a child. Thanks dad.

Richard hadn't thought anything of it. James wanted to take him flying while they were in Lubbock filming. He'd rented, or been lent, a TTx and had spent most of last night gushing about it, running off facts and figures from that library that passed for a brain. Richard quite liked flying, as long as it wasn't commercial. He'd gotten his own helicopter license mostly as a nod to convenience but flying was like the last frontier, the one place cars would never go. 

They met up early. They weren't needed for filming until noon, so James woke him at 7am, anxious to get his hands on the small aircraft. James did love his Cessnas. Richard was rushed through a fast food breakfast as they sped to the middle of nowhere for the airport. James was giddy, using the flat and straight roads of the Texas West to push the rental car faster than he normally would back in Europe. 

Using the GPS, they found the hanger, James pulling to a dusty halt under a carport. They were greeted by a mechanic who handed James the keys after a quick run down of the controls. 

"I've a 185 back home," James said, getting a feel for the pedals and screens. 

The mechanic looked a bit skeptical. "This is a bit more modern," he said with an edge of worry. It did look fantastically updated compared to James' more traditional aircraft. This one had buttons all over, lights, computer screens... It was like upgrading from an old Beetle to a current Tesla. 

James downplayed the concerns, a large smile plastered to his face as he watched things move on the screens and checked readouts against the small notepad resting on his thigh. 

"Towbar is ready when you are. Lineman will top you up."

Richard watched patiently as they got ready. It was a quick pull out to the grassy strip they used as a runway, James opting to taxi across the ground. Engines whirred and digital readouts blinked. Richard was more interested in watching the unfamiliar landscape out their windows. James' comforting voice came through his headset, the noise of the props louder than they could possibly speak. "Ready, Rich?"

Richard gave a thumbs up and they lurched forward, James working the fancy controls and building speed as they headed straight down the field. He was pushed into his seat as James lifted them, the feeling not unlike a really fast car. Unfortunately it was also similar to flying off the side of a Swiss mountain. Richard gripped his seat, watching as they gained altitude and the ground fell away under them.

James chattered away on the radio with the pathetic airport tower. He blocked out the staticky noise until James mentioned something about hydraulic pressure. Their climb leveled out and the plane tipped forward, the props suddenly pulling the ground close quickly.

The next thing he remembered was blinking, staring up at some sort of metal ceiling. The pain hit him, first in his back and then everywhere. He clawed at the harness holding him to the plush seat, skin itching as warm wetness traced down his flesh. 'Crash' his brain recognized not for the first time.

He couldn't get the harness unbuckled and tried to bring his other arm to help. He couldn't feel it, couldn't feel his hand make contact with the nylon straps and metal clasp. He turned to look and there was nothing where his arm should be. He looked across the center panel to James who was leaning forward oddly, held in his seat by the harness, blood covering everything and eyes open blankly. 

Sirens blared in the distance, loud and painful. Richard remembered taking off, gaining altitude, until something went wrong, James struggling with the computers and controls as they fell.

The mangled plane was swarmed with first responders, medics and firefighters, hands grabbing at him and pulling heedless of broken bones and injuries, pulling him away from the full fuel tank and onto a stretcher. He felt pressure against his shoulder and tried to worm away from the pain, even as his cracked pelvis shifted and his leg muscles pulled against shattered femurs. 

A worried face hovered over his. She was young, face pale, eyes darting everywhere but never meeting his eyes. "You're gonna be ok," she told him unconvincingly. Isn't that what they told everyone?

"James?" he wheezed. It hurt. It tasted like blood. A tube was put into his throat. He hadn't remembered that the last time. The pain was actually getting better and he'd wondered if he'd been shot up without noticing. The sheet under his back was wet, moist under his skin. He lifted his arm, wondering where all the blood had come from. His hand was pushed down, more people hovering over him and doing things to him. It was getting dark out, hadn't it just been breakfast? Maybe he'd hit his head. He'd just had a crash.

The gray sky changed as he was bounced painfully on the stretcher. He wasn't able to make out where they were taking him, but it was loud. There was something in his mouth and he tried to pull it out, not able to reach it.

There was a weight on his chest, pressing into his sternum. He opened his eyes, a blinding light shining into one eye. He was being rocked, not in a way that soothed him, it was jarring even as he felt light. Was this it? His brain settled comfortably as it shut down, wishing he'd known more about how to die. He thought about Mindy and the kids, his brothers and his parents, things going by too fast for him to get a grip on. The pain ebbed away and he floated off, light and love filling him.


End file.
